Volodymyr Zelensky's senior adviser has urged the West to drastically increase heavy weapon delivery if Ukraine is to repel Russia's invasion.
Kyiv, according to Mykhailo Podolyak, requires 1,000 howitzers, 300 rocket artillery systems, 500 tanks, 2,000 armored vehicles, and 1,000 drones to conclude the conflict. The eye-watering shopping list amounts to an army's worth of Western equipment, significantly beyond what has been given thus far and what Ukraine has requested.
Germany Might Oppose Ukraine's Military Weapons Request
In comparison, 500 new tanks would be more than the UK and Germany combined, while 1,000 howitzers and 300 rocket launchers would be more than the US now has in service.
So far, the US has delivered little more than 100 howitzers to Ukraine, while the US and UK are estimated to have deployed seven rocket systems. Podolyak provided the list amid severe combat in Ukraine's east, where Russia gave surrender or die' order to forces defending a major Donbas city this week, and before a Wednesday conference in Brussels to discuss military shipments.
The meeting will be chaired by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, with UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace in attendance. It is the third such conference of Western defense ministers in recent months, following a gathering of 40 nations in late April to address Ukraine's security.
However, given the magnitude of Podolyak's current request, it is uncertain if the allies would be able to supply Ukraine with what it requires without depleting its stockpiles.
Not to mention the supplies of replacement parts, ammo, gasoline, and other equipment required to keep such military systems operational. Germany, which has previously objected to several of Kyiv's more modest proposals, is almost certain to veto the measures, according to Daily Mail.
European Leaders to Visit Kyiv
On Thursday, the presidents of France, Germany, and Italy arrived in Ukraine for the first time since Russia's invasion began in February. The visit comes as European Union backing for Ukraine is called into doubt, and President Volodymyr Zelensky urges for stronger armaments to counter Moscow's artillery superiority.
President Emmanuel Macron of France, Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany, and Prime Minister Mario Draghi of Italy will join a slew of European politicians who have journeyed overland to Kyiv because of security concerns. In April, the American secretary of state, Antony J. Blinken, and the defense secretary, Lloyd J. Austin III, traveled to the region.
Before meeting with Ukrainian authorities, Macron and the other two leaders stated they were "present" and "focused" in Kyiv. Macron also stated that the leaders would pay a visit to the site of a war atrocity, although he did not explain.
Alexander Kamyshin, the head of Ukraine's national railway operator, released a photo showing the three European leaders seated, ties off, at a table in a train compartment designed as a mobile conference room. "This is my third night aboard a train in a row," Kamyshin wrote. "But I wasn't alone on the train last night," he said, implying that he had traveled by train with the three leaders overnight.
Ukraine's need for more weaponry has become increasingly pressing in recent weeks as Russian soldiers have expanded their control over the eastern Donbas area. However, the battle has posed far bigger problems for the European Union, which is debating how best to help a nation confronting the continent's largest invasion since World War II, as per New York Times.
The United Nations is warning that thousands of civilians are trapped in the Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk, with crucial supplies running low. Many are taking refuge in bunkers beneath the city's Azot chemical facility.
The city's sole exit bridge was damaged in battle earlier this week, effectively trapping its 12,000 surviving people within. Capturing Severodonetsk has been a primary military priority for Russia, which currently controls the majority of the city.
The UN hopes to offer help to people trapped in the city, but the ongoing violence prevents its agencies from gaining access or guarantees that civilians, particularly women, children, and the elderly, may be reached safely.
The warning came after Russian vows to establish a humanitarian passage to rescue villagers trapped beneath the Azot facility earlier in the day. However, there has been no proof that the planned safe path, which would have evacuated residents into the Russian-controlled area to the city's north, was followed, BBC reported.
